Crop Conditions Summary | |||||||||
Winter Wheat: Crop Condition | |||||||||
GoodExcellent | 05/18 | 05/11 | Change | Last Yr. | 10 Yr. | High(Year) | Low(Year) | Yield Last | Area |
Select States | 52 | 54 | -2 | 49 | 47 | 76(1993) | 25(1989) | 47.0 | 33.805 |
Kansas | 49 | 48 | +1 | 33 | 37 | 92(1987) | 4(1989) | 37.0 | 7.700 |
Texas | 32 | 42 | -10 | 39 | 35 | 71(2007) | 4(1996) | 30.0 | 5.700 |
Oklahoma | 56 | 53 | +3 | 51 | 43 | 97(1988) | 3(2011) | 28.0 | 4.350 |
Colorado | 46 | 56 | -10 | 46 | 44 | 83(1999) | 8(2002) | 25.0 | 2.100 |
Crop Progress Summary | |||||||||
Corn: Percent Planted | |||||||||
Planted | 05/18 | 05/11 | Change | Last Yr. | 10 Yr. | High(Year) | Low(Year) | Yield Last | Area |
Select States | 78 | 62 | +16 | 67 | 73 | 94(2000) | 46(2019) | 179.3 | 95.326 |
Iowa | 91 | 76 | +15 | 75 | 85 | 100(2000) | 33(1993) | 211.0 | 13.500 |
Illinois | 74 | 54 | +20 | 63 | 77 | 99(2000) | 22(2019) | 217.0 | 11.100 |
Nebraska | 86 | 73 | +13 | 76 | 81 | 98(1992) | 34(1982) | 188.0 | 10.600 |
Minnesota | 92 | 75 | +17 | 77 | 79 | 98(2004) | 28(1979) | 174.0 | 8.600 |
Cotton: Percent Planted | |||||||||
Planted | 05/18 | 05/11 | Change | Last Yr. | 10 Yr. | High(Year) | Low(Year) | Yield Last | Area |
Select States | 40 | 28 | +12 | 42 | 43 | 72(1992) | 37(2015) | 947.0 | 11.670 |
Texas | 35 | 27 | +8 | 36 | 35 | 54(1992) | 20(2015) | 796.0 | 6.430 |
Georgia | 41 | 24 | +17 | 45 | 48 | 88(1994) | 36(2007) | 975.0 | 1.100 |
Arkansas | 60 | 36 | +24 | 65 | 67 | 97(2012) | 42(1991) | 1196.0 | 0.670 |
Mississippi | 31 | 25 | +6 | 70 | 60 | 97(1994) | 21(2013) | 1079.0 | 0.520 |
Soybeans: Percent Planted | |||||||||
Planted | 05/18 | 05/11 | Change | Last Yr. | 10 Yr. | High(Year) | Low(Year) | Yield Last | Area |
Select States | 66 | 48 | +18 | 50 | 47 | 67(2012) | 10(1983) | 50.7 | 83.495 |
Illinois | 67 | 51 | +16 | 55 | 53 | 82(2023) | 3(2009) | 64.0 | 10.500 |
Iowa | 84 | 64 | +20 | 58 | 60 | 91(2000) | 8(1993) | 60.0 | 9.600 |
Minnesota | 81 | 52 | +29 | 47 | 55 | 91(2021) | 6(1986) | 45.0 | 7.000 |
North Dakota | 46 | 26 | +20 | 29 | 31 | 75(2012) | 4(2022) | 37.5 | 6.200 |
Spring Wheat: Percent Planted | |||||||||
Planted | 05/18 | 05/11 | Change | Last Yr. | 10 Yr. | High(Year) | Low(Year) | Yield Last | Area |
Select States | 82 | 66 | +16 | 76 | 73 | 98(2012) | 39(1995) | 46.2 | 11.270 |
North Dakota | 78 | 58 | +20 | 68 | 65 | 98(2012) | 21(2022) | 50.0 | 5.600 |
Montana | 76 | 61 | +15 | 78 | 77 | 96(1988) | 42(2011) | 25.0 | 2.450 |
Minnesota | 93 | 67 | +26 | 88 | 76 | 100(2012) | 8(2022) | 61.0 | 1.550 |
South Dakota | 99 | 98 | +1 | 94 | 91 | 100(2012) | 44(1995) | 48.0 | 0.720 |
US Crop Progress Estimates as of May 18, 2025 | |||||
Estimates | Previous | ||||
Hightower | Range | Last Week | Last Year | ||
Progress - Percent Completed | |||||
Corn Planted | 78 | 73 - 82 | 62 | 70 | |
Spring Wheat Planted | 80 | 75 - 87 | 66 | 79 | |
Soybeans Planted | 64 | 61 - 70 | 48 | 52 | |
Conditions - Percent Good/Excellent | |||||
Winter Wheat Condition | 54 | 53 - 57 | 54 | 49 | |
Highlights
Winter Wheat
Winter Wheat rated good / excellent (G/EX) as of May 18 was down 2% at 52% and poor / very poor was unchanged at 18%. Current G/EX is up 5% versus the 10 year average and Poor / Very Poor is down 4% versus the 10 year average. Of the 18 reported states 8 reported better, 8 worse, and 2 unchanged G/EX ratings. The good / excellent ratings for the top producing states were: Kansas 49%(+1%), Washington 78%(0%), Montana 79%(-4%), Illinois 60%(0%), Idaho 70%(+8%).
Crop Progress
Cotton
Cotton planted as of May 18 was up 12% at 40%. This is down 2% versus last year and down 3% versus the 10 year average. The top producing states report Texas 35%(+8%), Georgia 41%(+17%), Arkansas 60%(+24%), Mississippi 31%(+6%), North Carolina 40%(+16%).
Spring Wheat
Spring Wheat planted as of May 18 was up 16% at 82%. This is up 6% versus last year and up 9% versus the 10 year average. The top producing states report North Dakota 78%(+20%), Minnesota 93%(+26%), Montana 76%(+15%), South Dakota 99%(+1%), Idaho 99%(+2%).
Corn
Corn planted as of May 18 was up 16% at 78%. This is up 11% versus last year and up 5% versus the 10 year average. The top producing states report Iowa 91%(+15%), Illinois 74%(+20%), Nebraska 86%(+13%), Minnesota 92%(+17%), Indiana 64%(+19%).
Soybeans
Soybeans planted as of May 18 was up 18% at 66%. This is up 16% versus last year and up 19% versus the 10 year average. The top producing states report Illinois 67%(+16%), Iowa 84%(+20%), Indiana 59%(+18%), Minnesota 81%(+29%), Nebraska 80%(+18%).
Definition
Description
Crop Progress is measured by stages and percentage of completion. This includes percent planted, percent harvested, and several stages in between. Some of the stages vary from crop to crop. For example, intermediate stages for corn include emergence, silk, dough, dent, and maturity, while the stages for soybeans include emergence, bloom, setting pods, and dropping leaves. The reports compare the current week with the same period in the previous year and with the 5-year average.
Inclement weather in the spring can delay planting, which could ultimately lower the production for that year. For corn, producers may be forced to pick faster-growing but lower-yielding seed varieties if planting gets delayed. In some cases, they may switch to soybeans, which have a shorter growing season. If it is excessively hot and dry during the corn silking stage, yields could drop, and a delayed start to the season could push silking later in the summer and increase the odds of that happening. A key stage to watch for soybeans in pod-filling, as excessively dry weather during that stage could result in smaller beans and lower yield. If the crops are late, there is an increased chance of frost before the plants have matured, which can also reduce yield.
Crop Conditions are measured by five categories: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor and Very Poor. As a rule of thumb, analysts tend to focus on the percentage that is in the good and excellent categories (“Good/Excellent”) and to a lesser extent to “Poor/Very Poor.” The reports include data on the current week, the previous week, and a year prior.
Analysts look at the weekly conditions data during the growing season to get an idea on how the crop is performing relative to previous years. If the crop conditions are poor, analysts may want to reduce their production estimates, and vice-versa if the crop conditions are strong. Analysts may also look at individual states’ conditions in light of the weather those areas are experiencing.